RAISIXG AND CULTIVATION OF ANNUAL FLO WE RING PLANTS. 



any pot grown plant because they will 

 receive no check in moving. So friends 

 with a little care and trouble for one 

 summer you can have roses at a very 



small outlay, only get your plants from, 

 some reliable florist and have them come 

 by express. C. J. F. 



South London. 



THE RAISING AND CULTIVATION OF ANNUAL 

 FLOWERING PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN. 



preparation of the soil for this as for any 

 other crop is most important, and witb 

 good soil and good cultivation the re- 

 sults will be satisfactory. The hotbed 

 may be of one or more sashes according 

 to the number of plants required, and 

 in any case the preparation of the 

 material " hot stable manure " is the 

 same. One chief mistake amongst 

 amateur hotbed gardeners is in com- 

 mencing too soon in the season. The 

 earlier you start the more difficulties you 

 have to contend with ; and as the greater 

 number have other vocations during the 

 day to attend to, courting any more 

 difficulties than can be avoided is not to 

 be thought of. The material generally 

 used for hotbed making is stable manure. 

 It should be collected about two weeks 

 before the time for building the hotbed, 

 thrown into a heap and allowed to heat 

 slightly before giving the whole a turn, 

 that is, commence at one end or side 

 and carefully mix all the material to- 

 gether by turning the whole pile over on 

 to another part of the ground contiguous. 

 In doing this, all the outside material 

 should be placed in the centre of the 

 pile, thereby making it as uniform as 

 possible. About the beginning of April 

 is quite soon enough to collect the 

 material, and in about two weeks with- 

 frequent turnings will be in a good shape 

 to build the bed. About two ordinary 

 cart loads of the common stable manure 

 usually obtainable will be sufficient for 

 each sash of your bed. With proper 



Fig. 1102. — Hot-bed Frame. 



C /^ r^ HESE can be obtained at much 

 less expense and with far less 

 attention and trouble than 

 plants which have to be kept 

 over and propagated from cuttings ; and 

 for the amount of bloom, and the bright 

 appearance they give during nearly the 

 whole flower-producing season, they well 

 deserve to have the care bestowed on 

 them which they require to bring them 

 to perfection. Every one with a garden 

 of any pretension has a corner where 

 some of these beautiful annuals could 

 be accommodated, and where they 

 would well repay any attention given to 

 them. This short paper is intended for 

 amateurs in the flower growing line, and 

 I will give a few plain directions of how 

 to make a hotbed for the tender annuals 

 (with a list of those most suitable), the 

 manner in which the seed should be 

 sown and the attention required in the 

 hotbed, the transplanting of such as 

 require it in the hotbed, and their final 

 transplanting to where they are to re- 

 main for the season, and flower. The 



'52 



